Effects of Chronic Dehydration on Flight Crew

As a professional airline pilot for the last 22 years I have come to experience first-hand the effects of chronic dehydration on the body.  During my studies in the natural health field I have learned how best to combat this insidious problem and take back my health.  If you are a professional flight crew (pilot or flight attendant) or someone who simply spends a lot of time in the cabin of airliners you would do well to pay attention to the following discussion.

Chronic dehydration is a problem among the general population.  However, its effects are more prevalent and more acute among people who fly for a living.  We have been conditioned to believe that many of the physical symptoms that come along with chronic dehydration are a normal part of the aging process and we just need to suck it up and get used to it.  I have learned that this is not necessarily so.

The symptoms of dehydration are numerous.  For an excellent discussion of all the possible manifestations read “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water: Your not sick you’re thirsty” By: Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj There was a time before I knew the information I am about to share with you that my activities were becoming more and more limited.  I had to give up water skiing, roller-blading, jogging, bicycling and even holding my children when standing due to severe pain in my knees and back.

Among other things, one of my first indications of chronic dehydration was knee pain when bending down.  I was discussing the issue with my FAA flight surgeon.  He asked me when I felt the pain and I said when I bent down as in picking something up off the ground.  His reply was to stop bending down. “Huh, you need a doctor to tell you that”  he said.  You see, he was doing what MDs are trained to do - treat the symptom and not bother to look for the underlying cause.  To him the solution was simple, if you experience pain stop doing the activity that causes the pain.  If that doesn’t work prescribe a pain killer.  At the rate I was going, in a couple of years I’d have been walking with a cane.  

This mentality is like a pilot flying along and getting a warning light that says “Low Oil Quantity # 2 Engine” and instead of getting the plane on the ground and checking for oil leaks the crew just pulls the circuit breaker on the oil warning system and continues the flight until the engine fails.  The same thing will happen to our bodies if we fail to heed our own built in “warning system”.  The warning system in our bodies is the pain that we feel.  Our bodies are telling us it’s time to pay attention and correct a problem before something more serious happens.

I am happy to tell you that all of my symptoms have been completely ameliorated through natural methods (no drugs or surgery) with the exception of the herniated disc which is now at very manageable level.  In fact, most days I don’t even think about the back problem.  After successfully treating my own chronic dehydration I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I feel 10 years younger. I am water-skiing again and I am holding my girls a lot more these days.  

Apart from air, water is the most important nutrient.  Our bodies are approximately 65% water.  Our brains are approximately 85% water.  Water is involved in every bodily function including digestion, brain function, detoxification, cellular metabolism, hormone production, heart function, breathing, enzyme activity and the list goes on and on.  Without proper water intake we will suffer.

God has created an amazing machine in the human body and it programmed for survival.   The body can take abuse for quite a long time.  However, there comes a time when our bodies will cry “uncle” and say I’ve had enough and I can’t cope with this abuse any longer.

Our bodies have to survive on the water that we supply from drinking and eating.  When water is in short supply, God’s design goes to work and sets up a rationing system, very similar to the way a municipality rations water during a drought.   The most important organs and systems are taken care of first.  These include: the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and circulatory system. Less urgent needs like joint lubrication and detoxification take a back seat.

Getting back to flight crew issues, the air in a pressurized cabin at 37,000’ is around 5% relative humidity.  The Sahara desert is around 20% relative humidity!  The human body was not designed to thrive in such a hostile environment.

Here’s how we get into trouble.  If we wait for that dry mouth feeling to tell us when to drink we’re well on our way to becoming dehydrated.  To compound the matter, most people believe that soda, coffee and tea consumption count towards their total water intake.  They don’t.  Caffeine is a diuretic and will contribute to water loss.  Nothing hydrates like pure water.  Normally, everyone should consume 1/2 their body weight in ounces of water daily as a minimum.  However, when perspiring heavily as in working outside in the yard or exercising we need more than the minimum.  When I fly, I consume much more than my minimum.

Our bodies recycle about 40,000 gallons of water a day but come up about 2 to 3 quarts short due to perspiration, breathing and urination.  When breathing, flight crew use up a lot of water.  No matter what the relative humidity is of the air we breath, by the time it reaches our lungs the body makes sure it is between 75% and 85% relative humidity.  With the extreme dryness in the cabin, this puts a strain on our water reserves.  

I am convinced that it is next to impossible to consume enough water to keep up with our hydration needs while in flight.  There is a certain amount of absorption time required to process the water that we drink.   Which means, when we get on the ground we have to make up for a water shortage.  This can be quite challenging, especially on a short layover when we are trying to spend most of our time at the hotel sleeping.  The situation can also be further complicated with alcohol consumption which also dehydrates.  Add a commute on the ends of an already long 3 or 4-day trip and you have a prescription for chronic dehydration.

As stated above the body is very adept at coping with the challenge but after a 10 or 20 or maybe even a 30 or 40 year career (if you live that long) symptoms will start to show up and something must be done.

Of course a good place to start is increasing daily water consumption.  However, more water alone is not enough.  The problem is fibrin.  Fibrin is a substance normally suspended in the blood stream in the form of fibrinigin,  that helps our blood clot when necessary. The body releases fibrin as a response to trauma.  It is the first thing to be deposited on the walls of our arteries even before cholesterol, that forms what has come to be known as plaque.  Fibrin is a very good thing to have if you’ve just suffered from a severe laceration. However, it’s not such a good thing to have if you haven’t suffered such trauma.  The following is a Micrograph (Electron Microscope) image of an actual fibrin mesh.

The round, coin shaped things are red blood cells. 
Remember, the body does what it must to survive?  Well, as part of that amazing ability to cope with chronic dehydration, the body deposits fibrin not only on our arteries but on many other tissues and organs too. This is a desperate attempt to stop water loss from the cells. Fibrin will slow down the process of water leaving your cells.  But the same is true in reverse; it will also slow down the process of water intake to the cells.  This dramatically interferes with cellular respiration.   Imagine having this mesh deposited all over your body covering things like cartilage, organs and cell receptor sights.  Obviously, re-hydration will be a challenge.

Therefore, when we finally realize that we need to increase water consumption it’s like trying to water a potted plant that hasn’t been watered in a month and there’s a crusty layer on top of the soil.  As you pour the water on it just runs off because the water cannot easily penetrate the crusty surface.

Here’s the key point.  We must dissolve the fibrin if we are going to effectively hydrate our bodies.  This is accomplished with the assistance of a knowledgeable health care professional.  Following closely to a treatment protocol designed for you will make a world of difference in you health and well-being.  It has in mine and many other flight crew.
If this makes sense to you and you have been suffering with any of the above listed complaints or maybe you just don’t feel like you used to after a trip.  Don’t do what I did and wait until a serious condition develops.  Contact me 561.713.1128 and I can help you reclaim your health.
Fly Safe & in health,

David Sandstrom  
Natural Health Coach 

This article is brought to you by: David Sandstrom ND, CNC, MBA. David is a Licensed, Certified Nutritional Counselor and a Natural Health Coach. His areas of specialty are kids health, anxiety and depression, weight loss and detoxification.  His office is in the Crexent Business Center on Lake Worth Road in West Palm Beach.  His web site is www.abundantlife.BIZ His phone is 561.713.1128

     

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